Destiny
by Forgive My Sins
Summary: Imprinting is supposed to be easy, but nothing is ever easy for Leah Clearwater or Tyler Lockwood. Both of them hot-heads and with hidden secrets, will they be able to bond or will they tear each other apart?
1. Imprint

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**STORY NOTES: **The pack have always lived in Mystic Falls, end of. The phasing started when Stefan and Damon returned to Mystic Falls. Bella does not exist, not many of the Cullens do but Rosalie will make an appearance. Elena sort of replaces Bella's role – Jacob was in love with her, but she was with Stefan. He pursued her until he imprinted on Bonnie. Bonnie was with Damon, but left him for Jacob. You ask why the pack hasn't destroyed Damon? Ah, good question. I have the answer – Bonnie cares for him still, therefore hurting him would hurt Bonnie, they can't hurt Bonnie because she's an imprint of a pack member. BOOM.

* * *

**DESTINY  
**_Leah Clearwater/Tyler Lockwood  
_Imprinting is supposed to be easy, but nothing is ever easy for Leah Clearwater or Tyler Lockwood. Both of them hot-heads and with hidden secrets, will they be able to bond or will they tear each other apart?

* * *

The loud smash of the expensive Volvo window was so satisfying. It sent chills down her spines and caused the corners of her mouth to twitch upwards into a smirk. Her arms relaxed down to her side, her tanned hand keeping a firm grip of the baseball bat she was holding her while another hand lifted to brush strands of brunette waves away from her face. Ever since making the decision to let her hair grow out, it was forever getting in the way. Her breathing came out somewhat laboured as she stood there, admiring her work.

Sam Uley's car lived no more – two windows were smashed in, though she'd soon see to the others. There were dents in various places and she'd let the air out of one tire, while puncturing another. And she wasn't even finished yet.

Leah Clearwater was always known for her rage blackouts and temper tantrums – ever since she was a little girl, she had never been afraid to lash out and punch someone in the arm or even the face if they pissed her off. However, ever since her first phase, which had occurred almost two months ago now, her anger had really been off the rails. She couldn't control it – she was almost as temperamental as Paul. Sometimes she managed to keep it under control. Tonight though everything had just become too much as Sam's Volvo was paying the price for it.

She was just so sick of it – she was sick of hearing Sam's thoughts twenty four seven, always telling her how perfect Emily was. Every day, she heard something new about her cousin. It was always 'Oh, Emily's skin is so soft', 'Emily's cooking is so delicious', 'I'm going to marry Emily one day'. Careful Sam, any further and you're ass while disappear up there completely. On that note, she let out a frustrated growl, swung her arms back and then thrust the bat forward, smashing the back window. Glass shattered and tumbled over her feet, scattering all over the floor. Some people would call her bitter – some people would wonder why the hell she hadn't gotten over it yet, but she didn't give a shit.

It had been hard enough finding out the truth about the imprint because it had meant that she couldn't hate Emily as much as she used to – it meant that what had happened couldn't have truly been helped. It also meant that she and Sam were never meant to be, which cut deep, it really did. But what had really flipped her switch today had been a straw too far...the last one in fact. Having Paul or Jared or Quill telling her she needs to get over Sam she could handle. Having _Sam _dare to shout it at her? She couldn't handle. What gave him the fucking right to tell her to move on after he had betrayed her like that? He had made so many promises to her that he'd broken. He was supposed to cherish her, show her the world, give her everything she wanted on a plate. Instead, he left her to go shag her cousin.

He could have chosen to be her friend or even a brother, but no. He decided to go for the whole 'destined to love one another' role. And then, after that decision, he still thought he could turn around and tell her to 'get the fuck over it'? Just because _he _was getting fed up of having to feel her pain because he could suddenly see inside of her head now? Well, maybe_ she _was getting fed up of seeing inside his head and realising that all he ever thought about was Emily – he never even gave her a second thought anymore, as if he didn't even regret the shit he had put her through, as if she wasn't even there.

Well, once she was through with his car, he'd know for certain she was definitely fucking there and he better not fucking forget it.

Course, he'd kill her for it, but Leah wasn't the kind of girl that considered consequences.

In a fit of adrenaline and rage, the werewolf woman raised the bat once more and then slammed it down, slicing it hard across the bonnet of the car. Metal crunched and shook, denting and marking with scratches. Every blow felt so rewarding. It was almost as if it was Sam she was beating with the bat. Strands of hair fell in front of her eyes again and she didn't bother moving it this time. A faint line of perspiration was appearing on her face from all the movement, but she was getting used to feeling flustered and hot.

"Wow. Someone must have really pissed you off."

A male voice cut through the air and made Leah jump. It spoke from behind her and her body stiffened, muscles tensing and her back straightening. Her tongue ran along her lower lip in a nervous manner and she panicked for all of two seconds, before calming down. The tone of voice was cocky and arrogant, but there was no authority in it. If anything, it sounded young and as she sniffed the air, she smelt no danger. This was just a random bystander – probably a student from the local high school. Nobody she had to worry about. Nobody she couldn't handle. "You can say that again." She growled under her breath, not bothering to even glance at the person who had stumbled across her act of anger, twirling the bat around in her hand as she merely examined the damage she had created and tried to think of her next plan of attack on the car that was soon become nothing but scrap metal.

"Let me guess...ex boyfriend?" Whoever it was, they weren't going away. Well, they had balls, Leah would give them that. He wouldn't for much longer if he pissed her off though - she was _not _in the mood.

The male watched her from behind, his eyes occasionally travelling downwards to explore the curvy ass that she showed off perfectly in baggy shorts. It wasn't every day Tyler Lockwood stumbled across a sexy woman beating the shit out of a car with a baseball bat. Most men or even women would have assumed she was mental and run, but not Tyler. Tyler was odd like that – he wasn't afraid easily, especially not after recent changes that had affected him. If anything, he found the sight rather sexy, feeling drawn towards the woman, almost drawn towards the aura of danger that clearly surrounded her. She looked like a challenge, someone that wouldn't be easy to break and Tyler did so love a challenge. The fact she had her long, tanned legs on show, revealing firm muscles and a tight ass also helped. Tyler was famous for being a regular playboy after all.

"What he do...forget your anniversary?"

"Not quite." Leah hissed through gritted teeth, rolling her eyes slightly. What was this dude's deal? He seriously thought it was cool to approach a woman who was unstable enough to fuck up a car out in the open like this? Whatever - let him get on with it, it was no skin off her nose.

"Ah...so he cheated on you, huh?" Tyler knew that there were only two reasons that made chicks go as wild as this one – forgetting important dates or cheating. He should know – he did both and many more. Thankfully, no chick had ever gone this bat shit insane on him though. "Let me guess...it was with your best friend?"

"Nope." Leah popped her lips as she said this, drawling the word out slowly as she lifted the bat. "- it was with my _cousin_!" On that final world, she swung the bat and smashed it against the rear view mirror. It came flying off, landing somewhere on the concrete floor of the car park.

Tyler's eyebrows shot upwards as the mirror went spiralling away, his eyes widening slightly at the aggression she was demonstrating. God, he had images of her being an animal in the bedroom – all rough and sexy and dominating. He was getting excited just thinking about it. His hands shifted into his pockets and he rolled on his feet, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards slightly. "Well then, I can see why you're so mad."

Leah frowned at this and tilted her head to the side. He could see why she was so mad? Shouldn't he be telling her that she was overreacting like everyone else did and would? This dude was weird. Her arm fell back to her side and she finally turned around. "Let me get this straight, you –"As she spoke, she was turning to look at him, but the second her eyes fell upon him, her sentence was cut short and her eyes widened. The bat slipped from her fingers in shock and tumbled to the floor with a noise that echoed around the walls, though she barely even noticed. All she could notice right now was him. She knew him. It was Tyler Lockwood – she knew him. He was always causing some kind of trouble or trying to fight someone or breaking someone's heart. He was a nightmare student at the local school and Seth had come home often whining about him being a dick to him. He'd sort of gone off the rails recently though – not in the sense of he caused up more trouble than normal, but he just kind of disappeared for two months. This was the first time Leah had seen him since becoming a shape shifter and that much was obvious by the emotions that were suddenly washing over her.

It was as if waves were suddenly washing over her – not the crashing kind that would drown you, but the calming tranquil kind that could put you into relaxation for the next five years if you just closed your eyes and listened to it – the kind that they put on tapes. Everything in her life felt as if it finally had a purpose. It was as if she had suddenly been lifted off the ground, as if she was floating in mid air and there was no gravity to pull her back down to Earth. Nothing mattered anymore apart from this beautiful male standing in front of her. Emily was welcome to Sam – in fact, Leah was struggling to remember what her alpha slash ex boyfriend even looked like right now. She barely blinked as she stared at the person before her. She'd never realised how incredible Tyler's eyes were. She'd never been that close to him. But now, she saw so much more. She saw depth, she saw mischief, she saw hidden vulnerability...she saw love. She loved him. Her heart was pounding furiously against her chest and it was beating for one reason only – for him.

He was her reason – her life was about pleasing him. She wanted to give him everything he longed for. She wanted to protect him, she wanted to comfort him, she wanted to hug him, hold him, kiss him, cherish him...She merely wanted him. It didn't matter in what way – whether it be a sister or a lover, whatever he chose, she would accept willingly and loyally. Despite never having spoken to him, he was suddenly her whole meaning to exist. She couldn't remember life without him when really, that had only been five seconds ago.

Fuck – she had imprinted on Tyler Lockwood. _Fuck_.

"_What the fuck have you done to my car, Leah?"_

Double fuck.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I'm kind of psyched for this story. I've got all the chapters planned (there's thirty one! THIRTY ONE!) and I am _loving _the ideas that my imagination has come up with. I totally adore this new pairing and I hope that this story will turn out the way I'm seeing it in my head. Now, as Leah having long hair and blah...I'm aware the actress that has been cast for her doesn't, but want to know something?  
I SERIOUSLY DISLIKE THE ACTRESS THEY PICKED FOR HER. I'm sorry. It's just not the Leah I imagine. Honestly, my idea of the perfect Leah would be Michelle Rodriquez. I'm going to put a picture of her on my profile if you're interested as that's who I'll be basing her off. DON'T DISS MY CASTING CHOICE. If you want, picture Julia until your heart's content, but don't get confused when my description is different to your image.


	2. Not quite right

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**STORY NOTES: **The pack have always lived in Mystic Falls, end of. The phasing started when Stefan and Damon returned to Mystic Falls. Bella does not exist, not many of the Cullens do but Rosalie will make an appearance. Elena sort of replaces Bella's role – Jacob was in love with her, but she was with Stefan. He pursued her until he imprinted on Bonnie. Bonnie was with Damon, but left him for Jacob. You ask why the pack hasn't destroyed Damon? Ah, good question. I have the answer – Bonnie cares for him still, therefore hurting him would hurt Bonnie, they can't hurt Bonnie because she's an imprint of a pack member. BOOM.

* * *

**DESTINY  
**_Leah Clearwater/Tyler Lockwood  
_Imprinting is supposed to be easy, but nothing is ever easy for Leah Clearwater or Tyler Lockwood. Both of them hot-heads and with hidden secrets, will they be able to bond or will they tear each other apart?

* * *

"_What the fuck have you done to my car, Leah?"_

A booming voice full of rage and irritation echoed off of the car park walls, bouncing around the large area and announcing the arrival of Sam Uley – the owner of the now beaten down and damaged car. Leah was almost surprised by the fact that he had managed to sneak up on her like that, normally she sensed his arrival a mile off, but this time, she didn't see him or smell him, just heard him bellowing at her. She hadn't been paying attention her surroundings. Right now, the only thing she could focus on was Tyler and even as Sam began to shit bricks about the state of his once-upon-a-time-Volvo, she couldn't even find it in her to look at him or acknowledge his presence. She didn't laugh cruelly or spit insults at him. She didn't protest her innocence and pretend she never did it. She literally just stood there, eyes fixated upon Tyler and his gorgeous physique. Sam's voice was nothing but an annoying hum in the distance, like the buzz of a bee at a barbeque.

Tyler could feel it too. He couldn't feel it as strongly as her, but it was obvious he was feeling something – some form of strange bond that he couldn't explain which was drawing him closer to this sexy little female in short shorts. His eyebrows were formed down into a frown of confusion and even suspicion, unsure of what these knots in his stomach actually meant. Normally when Tyler felt knots in his stomach it was due to too much alcohol the previous night, never to do with a female. He didn't get stomach knots or sweaty palms or anything of that crap. He just got some and got gone. Yet, despite this, he couldn't force himself to look away – he couldn't break the eye contact between himself and this other chick. It was as if they were both magnets trying to repel against each other but unable to deny the connection. He shifted his body weight from one foot to another in an attempt to stop himself from just striding towards her and closing the distance between their bodies.

He wanted her. He wanted all of her. He wanted to move forward and envelope her in his arms. He wanted to press his body against hers, mould them together and be able to feel the pleasure of her curves pushed against him. He wanted to let his hands roam freely over her, explore her. Another part of him, the part that was controlled by lust, wanted to turn and punch this douche of an ex-boyfriend in the face for ever leaving such a delicate thing. Whoa – what the fuck – Delicate? Since when did Tyler ever refer to a woman as delicate, especially one who had just been seen beating the shit out of another dude's car?

Something was wrong with this scene and Tyler began to grow uncomfortable – just as Leah was. See, imprinting was supposed to be simple. It was supposed to be easy – it was supposed to be a happy moment. But imprinting was commitment and here stood two people who found the very thought of such a thing absolutely terrifying. Therefore, they weren't quite feeling the simplicity right now. They were merely feeling the fear as they began to feel less and less in control of their bodies and emotions.

Leah wanted to run. For so long now, she had whined and bitched that she wanted to imprint or have someone do it on her. She had thought it was what she wanted, but now it was happening, she wanted to escape it as soon as possible. She wanted to stop floating – she wanted to come back to reality. She felt like a puppet on strings and she didn't appreciate that. She didn't even know Tyler apart from the behaviour she'd witnessed in the past and the things people had told her, not to mention the fact that he was three, maybe four, years younger than her. She was twenty two and he was what...eighteen, maybe nineteen?

"LEAH!"

Sam wasn't shouting as a pissed off ex-boyfriend anymore. He was shouting as a pissed off Alpha and Leah bit down a whimper as an electric shock of pain shot down her spine at the fierceness of his command. Her hands clenched into fists, fingernails digging into her flesh and she considered ignoring him, but she knew she wouldn't be able to. Oh, how she hated this part of being what she was – against her will, she would always be at Sam's orders. As if he hadn't put her through enough shit. Swallowing hard, Leah slowly turned away from Tyler to look at Sam, her expression almost dazed, as if she wasn't sure where she was or even who she was. Her eyebrows lifted upwards and she said nothing, almost as if she had no idea why he was so angry.

"You _carved _your fucking name into my _seats_?" He hissed through gritted teeth. His eyes were wide, looking like pits of darkness as he glared at her. His hair wasn't its usually neat self, but untidy where he had clearly grabbed and tugged at it several times in frustration. As usual, no shirt adjourned his body, leaving his muscular and tone chest out for all to see though for once, it didn't bother her. His fists were clenched and his shoulders hunched, as if he was trying his hardest not to phase right there and attack.

"Uh..." Leah's hand came up to rub the back of her neck nervously. What was he talking about? For just a few seconds, she had completely forgotten what she had done. Her eyes searched the area, falling upon her master piece and she frowned slightly. She wanted to mock him – to laugh at him, to tell him that was what he deserved, but she couldn't even remember why she had done it now. He'd said something to her, something that hurt her feelings...but now her feelings were consumed by Tyler Lockwood and they couldn't remember anything else. "Yeah...apparently I did." She finally responded, shrugging her shoulders lamely and turning to look back at Sam.

Tyler sniggered at the sidelines, clearly thinking she behaving like that on purpose and Leah's pride swelled slightly at the fact he'd found humour in her words.

"Apparently you did?" Sam repeated slowly, disbelief in the tone of his voice. _"Apparently you did?" _Now he sounded raged again.

"Did I stutter? That's what I fucking said, Sam." Leah snapped, her tone ice cold. She didn't need his dysfunctional shit right now. She had just imprinted which was terrifying but glorious at the same time. Everything was so confusing – so much was going through her head and she wanted to escape it all, but no, Sam had to put some blame on her first. Okay, sure, she was in the blame here, but Leah was choosing to ignore that fact right now.

"You know what, Leah, what the fuck is your deal?" Sam demanded, taking a step towards her. Leah stood firm and didn't back down.

"Judging by the state of your car, I'd say probably you. Just a guess though." Leah responded sarcastically. She sounded bored and she was – she was bored of him trying to boss her around, she was bored of his attitude, she was just...bored of him full stop. And that was when she realised something – right now, as he stood there, screaming at her, glaring at her...all she felt _was _boredom. She didn't feel that usually pain in her heart. She didn't feel that horrible nostalgia shit. She felt nothing. It was as if, all of a sudden, her feelings for Sam had been wiped, like a slate being cleaned. One of her hands came up and she ran it through her hair. This was all too overwhelming – her whole life felt like it had suddenly drastically changed within seconds and she couldn't take it. She needed to just...get some space, find some time to think.

Sam strode towards Leah and his fingers curled around her arm, snatching it in his tight grip as he forced her to make eye contact with him, his temper getting the better off him. His fingers were going to leave bruises, but they'd heal within the hour anyway. "This is the last straw, Leah. I was lenient with you at first – I've tried to make it easier on you, I've tried saying sorry, but this is it. You can't just go around behaving like some spoilt little brat who can't get her own way, destroying people's properties and – "

Her alpha never got the chance to finish his little rant because suddenly, a hand curved around his arm and yanked. Sam growled slightly, his eyes widening in surprise as he physically stumbled backwards, being forced to let go of Leah on the way. He caught his balance to stop himself from falling over and his head snapped in the direction of the person who had grabbed hold of him – he was angry, but at the same time, confused. No human should have been able to move him like that – not as easily as Tyler had made it seem anyway. The kid didn't even look stunned by the unusual body heat Sam's skin had nor had Sam felt any coolness when the hand had snatched hold of him.

"I think you need to back the hell off, mate - looks to me like the lady doesn't want you touching her." Tyler growled through his teeth. He looked just as enraged as Sam. His eyes were dark, his lips pursed into a thin line and his own fists clenched, preparing himself for a fight. He wasn't sure what had happened – one minute, he'd been dazed and drawn to this woman and now, all he wanted to do was kill Sam. He wanted to tear him limb from limb just for daring to grope at Leah like that. Tyler was known for having uncontrollable anger issues after all.

"Looks to me like this isn't any of your business." Sam growled back, tilting his head to one side. He was trying his hardest to remain calm – attacking a human, especially on the territory he was supposed to protect, would go against everything he and his pack stood for. But then, he was reminded of how easily Tyler had pulled at him, moving him and he had to question the word 'human'. "Leah, why don't you tell your new friend to clear off before he gets himself hurt?" He mocked, turning to look at Leah, who was once again staring at Tyler. Sam finally picked up on it – he could see the twinkle of adoration in her eyes as she gazed at the other male and he frowned. She'd imprinted? His head snapped to look back at Tyler and he licked his lower lip, feeling a slight pang of concern and even a twinge of jealousy.

"Uh...I – "It was unsure if Leah was trying to talk to Sam or Tyler. She rubbed her lips nervously together. For once in her life, she was speechless. There was so much she could say, so much she wanted to say. Her body, soul, heart...every fibre of her being was urging her to talk to Tyler, to ask him if he wanted to come for a walk with her or something shitty like that, but she was denying it. She was denying it so much that it hurt her – it made her muscles and joints ache, it made her body feel as if it was being tightened and squashed in all sorts of different ways. It made her head throb in pain and she even felt a little dizzy. "I have to go." She finally announced, shaking her head. She couldn't stay here. She needed to go, she needed to do what she did best and hide from the truth rather than face it. "I have to go." She repeated and on that note, she turned. Her feet broke off into a run, the wind suddenly whipping at her damp face, still sweaty from beating on the car. The further away she got from Tyler, the more it hurt, but she forced herself to keep going. Once she was out of sight, she phased, her paws pounding at the ground as she urged herself to keep going, urged herself not to look back and tried to ignore the mocking laugh of Paul inside of her head, who was now getting cinema-like images of everything that had just happened.

Sam listened to Leah go, but he did not once tear his gaze off of Tyler. Tyler didn't tear his gaze off of Sam either. It was like they were challenging each other for authority, neither of them refusing to back down. Tyler was silently urging Sam to make a move, to try and fight him, his fists still clenched and his eyes taunting. Sam was trying his hardest not to accept that challenge and teach this kid to respect his elders. Both of them were breathing heavier than necessary, their chests puffed out more than need be and quite honestly, both of them seemed to have this wolfish glint within their eyes. It was like two dogs circling each other, preparing for an attack. It was a surprise they weren't growling and snarling at each other.

After a few moments, Tyler smirked and he relaxed. His shoulders shrugged slightly as if he was trying to get comfortable in his own body and a sigh of relief parted from his lips, which caused Sam to frown. There was no fear emitting off of this boy's body, he couldn't smell it, so why was he relieved? It was almost as if Tyler was proud of himself for not fighting, as if he was proud he'd managed to keep control. "You should probably put a shirt on and get someone to look at that." Tyler drawled out sarcastically, nodding his head towards the battered Volvo. His smirk widened and Sam's eyes narrowed even more.

"Get the fuck out of here before I do something I'll regret." Sam warned, shaking his head and unclenching his fists.

"Right." Tyler laughed and shook his head, his eyebrows looking up in disbelief. The fact that this boy showed no sign of fear was nothing but irritating for Sam – he was so used to being in control see becoming alpha, but Tyler was taking that control away from him with such ease. At least none of the pack were around to witness it, though they would surely see it soon enough the next time they all phased and got a good look inside of his head. "I'll just...be going then, before you...glare at me some more." The younger lad shook his head and laughed once more, before shoving his hands in his pockets and finally turning his back on Sam.

Sam's eyes watched as he began to walk away, examining nothing but Tyler's back, suspicion on his face. There was something quite not right about that boy – and despite him being Leah's imprint, he vowed silently to keep an eye on him. If Tyler was dangerous, Sam would soon find out, even if it would give Leah more reason to resent him.


	3. Insecurities

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**STORY NOTES: **The pack have always lived in Mystic Falls, end of. The phasing started when Stefan and Damon returned to Mystic Falls. Bella does not exist, not many of the Cullens do but Rosalie will make an appearance. Elena sort of replaces Bella's role – Jacob was in love with her, but she was with Stefan. He pursued her until he imprinted on Bonnie. Bonnie was with Damon, but left him for Jacob. You ask why the pack hasn't destroyed Damon? Ah, good question. I have the answer – Bonnie cares for him still, therefore hurting him would hurt Bonnie, they can't hurt Bonnie because she's an imprint of a pack member. BOOM.

* * *

**DESTINY  
**_Leah Clearwater/Tyler Lockwood  
_Imprinting is supposed to be easy, but nothing is ever easy for Leah Clearwater or Tyler Lockwood. Both of them hot-heads and with hidden secrets, will they be able to bond or will they tear each other apart?

* * *

"Are you really going to just sit around in your apartment and sulk for the rest of your life? 'Oh, my name is Leah Clearwater and I hide from happiness because I like being all solemn and depressed'."

"Fuck you, Black. You know, if you're not going to say anything fucking helpful, you can just go fuck off out the door."

Leah's voice was harsh, though Jacob didn't actually get insulted by it – he merely barked out a laughter and shook his head, ignoring the way Bonnie whispered in his ear for him to stop winding Leah up. Truth was, that was about the fifth time she had hissed poison words in his direction this evening. He enjoyed getting a rise out of his friend – Leah was always so amusing when she was angry. Most people found her irritating, by Jacob got his kicks out of making it worse, especially lately.

It had been three days ago when Leah's eyes had fallen upon Tyler and her body made aware of the imprint. It had been three days since she dared step outside due to the chance she may see him again. It hurt – oh god, the feeling was indescribable. Forcing herself to stay away from him was like a form of self-harm. Her heart constantly felt like there was a clamp around it, squashing it tightly together. Her body seemed to physically ache, as if she had done far too much exercise and she was never able to get comfortable. She was always fidgeting around, always needing to do something in the vain attempt to distract herself. Three days felt like three years, yet she continued to do it. How did she get by? Drank herself silly every night, that's how.

And that was why she was now getting a lecture. Apparently, she was 'heading down a dark path' or something shit like that. Gee, you drank three bottles of vodka in a short space of time and suddenly everybody actually gave a damn about you. Who would have thought?

"I don't understand why you won't just face him." Jacob spoke up once more.

Leah hated that Seth constantly had the pack members over here – every day, she would wake up, trudge out of bed and be greeted by howls from various males. With her mother and father 'in a better place', she had to take the responsible role as Seth's legal guardian, leaving them to share a flat together. It was only small, but Seth still insisted on using the widescreen TV as an excuse to have everyone plus their girlfriends over. Normally, she didn't care but right now, everything pissed her off. All she wanted was some peace, maybe a talk with her brother, but here she was, surrounded by the world and its fucking wife. They'd all been here the past three days and nights, all of them bugging the shit out of her as they spoke in know-it-all voices, assuming they knew what they were on about _just _because their imprints had gone so well. Paul was the worse – thought he was God's gift ever since he'd snatched himself up a hot little cheerleader. Dude never shut up about his sex life now. Sam and Emily, Jared and Kimberly...the list was endless. Even Jacob always looked loved up – nobody could ever get him on his own anymore, Bonnie was always there, much like she was now.

Tonight, the only people she had to deal with were Jacob, Bonnie and Seth, but even they were beginning to send her insane. Seth said they were round to watch some film he'd rented, but Leah knew he'd asked Jacob to come in hope he could talk some sense into her – she'd overheard the conversation.

Leah narrowed her eyes at the form of her friend, sneering at the way Bonnie was curled up faithfully by his side, his arm draped lazily around her while his fingers idly played with a strand of her hair. They looked so fucking perfect – like they belonged in a fairytale. It was hard to believe just two months ago, the witch had been screwing a vampire. Ha, maybe she'd remind Jake about that if he continued to piss her off. "I won't face him, because I'm not about to become some little bitch-ass slave to a man I hardly know! That might be your style, but it's not mine."

Jacob rolled his eyes and his arm tightened around Bonnie in a protective manner. "It's not like that, Leah and you know it."

"That's _exactly _what it's like. The second I laid eyes on him, I had this urge to do whatever I could to please him. It was like I would _die _if I didn't." Leah was now pacing, unable to sit down, moving back and forth in front of the television.

"That's what imprinting _is, _Leah. It gets easier after a while. You're just at the first stage – it's a shock for everyone, but you learn to deal. The more you hide from it though, the harder it's going to get. You can't fight this." Jacob told her with an impatient sigh.

"I can and I will." Leah huffed angrily, moving out of the room for a few brief moments and disappearing into the kitchen. When she came back out, her fingers were curled around a glass with clear liquid in, ice chinking against the side. The strong smell that the wolf noses could pick up on implied it wasn't water, but something a lot stronger.

"I'm not carrying you to your bed for the third night in a row, Leah. You want to get wasted; you're sleeping wherever you pass out." Seth sighed in a tone that sounded extremely fed up. Leah simply made a face at him and dropped down into an armchair, sipping at the alcohol.

"You shouldn't drink that shit straight, Leah." Jacob added and Leah groaned out loud.

"Fuck, what is this, an intervention now? Shouldn't all my friends be here?" She snapped.

"They _are_." Jacob told her and she looked a little taken aback by this. "You know, you didn't have many to begin with but ever since you imprinted on this Taylor – "

"Tyler." Bonnie whispered in a correction, Jacob smiled at her, mumbled something about her being so smart and gave her a chaste kiss. Leah pretended to gag though once Jacob looked back at her, she smiled innocently.

"Ever since you imprinted on this Tyler person, you've been acting like a grade A bitch. You've alienated the few people you had that were willing to put up with your bullshit. Paul doesn't even want to come around here anymore!" Jacob told her, shaking his head slightly. "Nobody wants to be near you when you're like this. You told Embry to fuck off and die yesterday _just _because he said he didn't like the television show we were watching."

"So?" Leah lifted her eyebrows up.

"You didn't like it either! He was _agreeing _with you and you bit his head off!" Jacob's voice went a little high pitched as he said this. He was clearly getting frustrated that she wasn't listening to him or taking his words serious. It was obvious by the blank look upon her face that she wasn't getting his point. "Come on, man. You're twenty one and I'm acting more mature than you."

"Wow. A seventeen year old boy whose life consists of sex, porn and 'Oh Bonnie, can I shove my head a little further up your ass' thinks he's more mature than me." Leah sneered, shooting back the rest of the vodka straight not bothering with pussy sips any more.

"See, this is what I'm on about. You're being a dick, Leah and you know what, I don't even want to be here. I'm here for Seth because he doesn't deserve to have to look after his older sister, just because she can't handle the fucking truth and has commitment issues." Jacob was getting angry now – it was clear because he'd actually removed his arm from around Bonnie's shoulders and was leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees with his dark eyebrows formed into a tight scowl.

"I don't have fucking commitment issues!" Leah was beginning to shout now as well, her eyes darkening slightly, a wolfish glint beginning to appear in them as she warned Jacob not to push the matter further, but he did.

"Yes, you do, Leah. We're not as dumb as you like to think we are. We can see inside your head, remember? So you, trying to convince us, that this is all because you don't want to become somebody's 'slave'? It's not working. This is about you being scared of getting hurt again – this is about Sam, just like everything else is you do!"

"Shut up, Black. You don't get to talk about shit you don't understand. This conversation is over." Leah pushed herself to her feet and snatched up her glass. Her heart was beginning to race, not out of fear or nerves, but out of the sheer fact that he was right and she did not want to talk about it. She didn't want to go there. The past three days, she had not only been convincing them, but also trying her hardest to convince herself. She didn't want to face the truth – the truth hurt. She wanted to avoid it, just like she was avoiding Tyler. Why couldn't everyone just leave her be? She was a part of the pack, sure, but she still deserved a little privacy.

"Oh look, running away _again. _This is becoming a regular thing for you, Leah. I never took you for being a coward."

This made Leah stop and she spun around to face him. "I'm _not _a coward, Jacob."

"Then why are you hiding away in your apartment when you could be out there actually finding some happiness? What the hell are you so afraid of?"

Leah clamped her mouth shut. She was not going to talk about this. Her chest was rising up and down in a heavy manner, her fists clenched. She was not going to break. But Jacob just wasn't going to shut up either.

"What happened with Sam was bad, I get it, but it's over now and you've got a chance to move on and what? You don't want it? Why? Are you still clinging to some false hope that Sam will come back? Or do you just not want to move on because you like sulking around?" Jacob was on his feet now. Seth took a step forward.

"Hey, Jake man, come on – "Seth was all for getting through to his sister, but he didn't want to attack her like this.

"No, Seth, I think it's time she start sharing! She wants us to have to deal with her, we should at least know why!" Jacob took a step forward. "What are you so afraid of, huh, Leah? What are you running from?"

"I'm _scared_!" Leah yelled, so loud that it made Bonnie jump and her grip on the glass suddenly became too tight, causing it to smash. Shards cut in her hands as they tumbled to the floor, but she didn't even notice the blood that began to ooze from them. "Okay? I'm scared!" She hadn't meant for it to come out, but she broke under the pressure. She could feel the word vomit building up and she had tried so hard to keep it down, but in the end, she had snapped. He'd cornered her and the worst part was, now she'd begun she didn't want to stop. "Is that what you wanted to hear, Jake? I'm fucking _terrified_. I've seen what imprinting does to people – it changes their entire lives. Look at you – one minute you were willing to die for Elena and now you're jumping her best friend! Look at Paul – he used to sleep with any girl he could get his hands on and now suddenly, he's ready for _marriage_! I looked at Tyler that night and my life _changed_. I existed for him and him only. I wanted him so badly that it _hurt_."

"What is so wrong with that?" Jacob asked, sounding desperate for an explanation.

"Because what happens when he doesn't want _me? _What do I do then?" Leah yelled. Her eyes were wide and strands of brunette hair were beginning to fall in front of her face. "What happens when I talk to him, I get to know him and then he turns around and doesn't want _me? _What happens when my apparent soul-mate decides I'm not good enough for him and runs off with someone better, someone prettier? Someone who...who is a good cook and hey, she might even be my cousin like the last one! What do I do then?"

Jacob seemed a little taken back by her outburst and he was silent for a few moments, before he brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck nervously. He'd wanted answers but now he didn't know how to deal with them. "Leah...what happened with Sam –"

"- could quite easily happen _again_." Leah finished off. "And again...and again...until I run out of relatives, but even then I'd probably still have some girl friends hanging around. I will _not _put myself through that again, Jacob, I won't survive."

"Leah – this doesn't have to _be _a relationship. An imprint isn't about love, it's about _devotion _whether it's as a sister or a lover or a friend – "

"Right, because "I might be your soul mate, but let's just be friends so I can sleep with other people" is so much better than "Hi honey, I'm home, but not for much longer because I'm actually leaving you for your cousin"." Leah spat out as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. She glared at Jacob, hating him a little for making her admit all of this out loud. "See, I'm not _afraid _of commitment, Jacob. I _love _commitment. I'm scared of _rejection_. I gave my heart, body and _soul _to Sam and you know what he did? He threw it right back at me. He _spat _on me. You might think the sun shines out of his ass, but you have _no idea _what he's really like and if you for one _second _stopped kissing the ground he walked on and looked inside _my memories _for once, you'd know that!"

"Sam couldn't help who he imprinted on, Leah, just like you can't now." Jacob soothed, but Leah just laughed in a mocking way.

"Sam wanted Emily _before _he even imprinted on her." Nobody knew what to say after that. Leah had never told anyone about that – who would have believed her? Sam was perfect in their eyes – Sam was their alpha, Sam could do no wrong. Sam was their idol. But she knew the real Sam – the Sam that was hidden away, the person he'd been _before _he'd become alpha.

Seth came to stand by Jacob's side now. "Leah...what are you talking about?" He asked, cocking his head to one side.

Leah looked away, licking across her lower lip. She wanted to tell them to forget it – beg for them to just drop it, but she knew they wouldn't and if they went to ask Sam about it, he would just make her out to bed the bad person. She was tired of that – tired of him forever making her look like some desperate little bitch that was just bitter for no reason. Looking back up, she shrugged her shoulders to try and make herself more comfortable. "Sam wanted Emily before he imprinted on her." She repeated. "You remember last year, everyone came down for my twenty first and we had that big party at the Mystic Grill? That was the first time Sam and Emily met. I caught him trying to make out with her outside after he'd had a few too many beers. Emily was pissed – she slapped him and walked off. Next morning, he apologised and I accepted." She cut the story as short as possible, not wanting to go into much detail. "Sam wanted Emily a long time ago – the imprint just gave him an excuse to finally have her and not be the bad guy. And even then, during the first two months, he tried to have both of us. Until we both found out and Emily made him choose – I was dropped in seconds, there wasn't even any competition. So yeah, I got a little bit of a fear towards rejection. You want to try and fucking tell me I don't have a reason for it? You want to carry on shouting at me?"

Jacob and Seth were quiet. Bonnie looked like she wanted to get up and hug Leah, but she knew better than to try and comfort a girl who didn't want it, especially one that could phase into a wolf and eat her.

"I hide from Tyler, because I know that in the end...I'm just going to get hurt again. He'll have his fun, but he'll get bored because guess what? I'm not the kind of person that people want to settle down with! I don't cook, I barely clean...I can't give anyone children, I don't do well at family dinners and I'm not the kind of person parents want their children marrying either! I'm the one that they have fun with – I'm the daring one, the exciting one...the one they can get a few thrills out of before finding Mrs Perfect. I'm not comforting like Bonnie...I'm not a trophy piece like Caroline...I'm the tomboy that everyone sees as one of the lads and now, to top it all off, to add insult to injury, I'm a wolf!" She was really blowing off steam now, letting out every single insecurity she kept hidden within her, her voice raised and her eyes refusing to blink just in case there were tears there. She would not cry. "I'm not a princess and this whole 'imprinting' shit...it's not a fairytale. I'm not the one boys sweep off their feet...I'm just the one they stick with until they find something better."

Everybody seemed speechless. Jacob had recoiled slightly, his eyes staring at the floor rather than looking at her. The air was thick with tension, everybody feeling awkward and nobody knowing what to say. Nobody had really expected Leah to suddenly burst out like – nobody had ever realised that behind his tough girl, there really was a sensitive soul, someone that really thought nothing of herself. Even Seth was awe-struck, wide eyes just observing his sister, looking uncomfortable but at the same time, sympathetic. Leah almost wanted to smirk at the irony of it all – moments ago, they'd been demanding answers and now it was like they wished they'd never even asked. It was so typical of them, especially Jake. They always wanted to know the 411, but never appreciated it when they got it. They couldn't help her – there were no comforting word they could offer her and that was why she kept shit like this inside. It was so much better to ignore it than acknowledge. Leah wasn't the kind of girl that wanted to hug and cry or learn and grow. She just got by, did what she did and dealt with shit hand life dealt her.

"Fuck this. If I want to talk about my problems, I'll go to a meeting." Leah hissed through gritted teeth, turning her back on them. Moving into the kitchen, she wrapped a towel around her cut hand before snatching up her jacket with the other. It wasn't long before she was moving towards the door. Seth called after her, trying to get her to stop, but she kept her back to them. Yanking open the door, she disappeared out of it, slamming it behind her and disappearing out. This whole thing had started because she'd refused to leave the house, right? Well, fine, she'd leave the house. If she couldn't get drunk at home without getting a lecture, she'd go get drunk somewhere else. Maybe she could find some company to distract her away from Tyler while she was at it.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Some of you might be wondering when she's finally going to interact with Tyler. Well, it will be shortly, I promise! But, I don't want to rush into this. In my opinion, this is how I view Leah and I think if she ever imprinted, she would be scared at first even if she wants it. This is just the way I view her – if you disagree, feel free to share with me your opinion on her character, but do it nicely and maturely please, don't start sending me shitty emails that I'm playing her out of character. I'm playing her how I view her. I'm not Stephenie Meyer so I'm just rolling with it.

**COMING UP NEXT: **A conversation with Damon makes Leah realise that perhaps this imprint is too hard for her to ignore.


	4. Realization

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**STORY NOTES: **No story notes for this chapter, apart from the same with Damon – if you wonder why the pack haven't torn him apart, it's because of Jacob's loyalty to what Bonnie wants and she wants them to give Damon a chance to be his version of 'good' – basically, no hunting humans on their land. Damon's personality is still the same, snarky son of a bitch that he is, but he's based more of Damon half way through the season, not beginning. Bonnie and him weren't in a loving relationship – it was just sex, really. Just a couple of facts for you in case they weren't clear.

* * *

**DESTINY  
**_Leah Clearwater/Tyler Lockwood  
_Imprinting is supposed to be easy, but nothing is ever easy for Leah Clearwater or Tyler Lockwood. Both of them hot-heads and with hidden secrets, will they be able to bond or will they tear each other apart?

* * *

"Another?"

"Make it a double." Leah's voice was gruff and harsh, possibly even a little slurred. Her eyes were half-lidded, staring down at the beer mat in front of her rather than even bothering to look at the bartender as he served her. She was pretty sure she was over the bar limit, that at this point he was meant to be refusing her service in case she got out of hand, but hey – she'd caught him staring at her breasts at least three times tonight so maybe he was hoping to get lucky if he kept passing her vodkas. Maybe he would – he was pretty cute and he'd be even cuter after a couple more drinks. Maybe that was what she needed to get her mind distracted from Tyler – another body, another male. That was what she had done after Sam had broken her heart – cleansed her body of him by dirtying it with others, including Paul one time.

"Drowning your sorrows? I like it – makes you all vulnerable and sorrowful." The voice that spoke to her was deep and taunting, with drunken lilt to it. A stench that made her want to phase reached her nose and she growled under her breath, full aware of whom and better yet _what_ it was. A glass placed down next to hers and Damon Salvatore welcomed himself into the seat next to her, sliding into it without a care in the world, as if he thought she wanted his company. He was an ass – always irritating her because he knew he could get a rise from her. Ever since the wolves had been ordered not to kill him if he didn't kill a human, he'd thought he was untouchable. She'd give anything to be able to rip his throat out, but no, Sam's alpha order made sure to stop her every time she considered it.

"Talk to me again and I'll show you how vulnerable I'm not, asshole." Leah finally looked up, breaking her state with the beer mat and turning her head to look at the vampire. He seemed amused by her comments rather than threatened which was obvious by the smirk that was twitching on his lips. It was irritating that a vampire could be as good looking as he was. Heck, she would have definitely boned him by now if he wasn't everything she was naturally grown to hate. "And did I say you could sit there?"

Damon frowned, as if he was confused. "Last time I checked, this was my town. I can sit wherever I want." His eyebrows flickered upwards then down before he just winked at her and took a sip of the bourbon he was drinking. The bartender finally returned with Leah's drink, placing it in front of her and before Leah even had a chance to reach in her pocket; Damon had flashed his wallet and thrown a note at the man behind the bar. The bartender accepted it, soon leaving them on their own again. Leah's glare grew fiercer, but the vampire feigned innocence. "Oooh, shocker, a vampire buys a werewolf a drink – alert the media."

"Shut the fuck up." Leah hissed, though she put up no complaint. She needed the drink more than she needed her stubbornness right now, which really showed how irritated she was. Her hand snatched up the cold glass and she sneered at the ice, before throwing it back, taking half the contents in her mouth in one and swallowing hard. Her throat was numb by now and could no longer feel the burn, but it made her head fuzzier by the second and she loved it. Placing the glass back down, she watched the remains float around, almost slipping back into a daze, only to be brought out of it once more.

"God, you're depressing." Damon sneered with a roll of his eyes. "I thought _I _was bad when I moped, but just _looking _at _you _actually makes me want to kill myself."

"Need some help with that? I'm more than willing to lend a helping hand." Leah suggested in a blunt voice.

"Hmm, tempting to see you try, but no...no, it would be too much of a wicked waste to lose such a face." Damon responded, one of his hands reaching to touch his cheek humorously before sighing once more. "So, what's got you all moody and repressive? Well, more than you already were. God, you're not still pining over that idiot alpha male of yours, are you?"

"That's rich coming from the guy who has spent...gee, how many years now pining over some vampire bitch who was fucking both you _and _your brother?" Leah shot back, turning vicious eyes on him once more. She would always resent Bonnie for telling Damon about the history between her and Sam.

A flash of anger appeared in Damon's eyes, but he managed to hold it back and merely had a gulp of his drink to calm himself. After swallowing, he spoke again. "Well, I guess we share one thing in common then. Burned by the ones we loved who left us for family members." He rose his glass in a toast manner and finished the bourbon with ease.

"Yeah, so much in common, hey let's get married." Leah drawled out, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Ew, god, marriage – what a hideous thought. Now I need another drink." Damon made a face, before lifting his hand and signalling at the bartender to get him another.

Leah opened her mouth to deliver yet another insult, but before she could she was hit with a wave of...indescribable feeling. Her heart was suddenly racing. Her bones were aching more so than they had been the past three days. Her mind was suddenly dizzy and not from the alcohol. Her feet wanted to move, but she refused to let them. A group of teenagers had just made their way indoors and each of their laughter filled her ears, but one stuck out in particular. It was deep, booming and commanding. It was husky from cheeky cigarettes that he had on the sly when his father and mother weren't around. It was deeper than usual because of the few drags of a joint he'd taken earlier. It was wonderful, like music to her ears and it made her head turn against her will. Her eyes fell upon his beauty and everything seemed to move in slow motion – Tyler Lockwood had just walked into the Mystic Grill, his arm draped lazily around a stoned Vicky Donovan as he moved straight towards the pool table, not even glancing at her, not even acknowledging her existence. That hurt – it made her angry that such a small thing hurt.

Instantly, her body wanted to go to him, wanted to embrace him and speak with him, but she wouldn't let it. Leah had come here in hope to escape him and now here he was, right in front of her. "Fuck!" She hissed without warning, snatching up her glass and throwing back the rest of the contents. Pain – she could feel it, the pain of him being so close but so far away at the same time. She was denying what her instincts wanted and it hurt, but she didn't care. She would not bend to a will that was not her own – she would not be a puppet being pulled along on strings. She could sense Damon looking at her oddly and it irritated her. "_What?" _She demanded with a hiss. If he was looking for a fight, she'd sure as hell give him one, screw Sam's orders. She wouldn't kill him; she'd just bruise him a little.

Damon didn't answer straight away. His eyes flickered back and forth from her, to Tyler than back to her before he finally seemed to realise something. "Aaah..." He breathed out wisely, smirking ever so slightly. "The great Leah Clearwater becomes a slave to her own desire. _You've _done that weird little wolf thingy...whatever it's called...imposing...impotent...I don't remember what Bonnie called it, I stopped listening after the words 'We're not having sex anymore'." He rolled his eyes and made a face, clearly still a little irritated about Bonnie's rejection. She'd been a fun little witch to play with and so very naughty in the sheets despite her little innocent facade she put on for the world.

"It's _imprinting, _you dumbass." Leah sighed out in a quiet voice.

"Whatever, it's _pathetic_." Damon drawled out. "You werewolves...think you know everything and now you've come up with a new term for 'lust at first sight'. _I _know what love is and love is not looking at someone and feeling all..._floaty_ and _bubbly. _Love is – "

"I'm not in love." Leah growled defiantly, interrupting what would have been a twisted and boring speech.

"Oh please, you might as well be humping his leg." Damon stated, glancing back over at Tyler. "Although, I think little Miss Donovan is doing that for you."

Despite her not wanting to, Leah couldn't prevent her head from snapping in Tyler's direction when she heard this. Sure enough, Tyler was pressed against the wall, a pool cue in one hand while the other was squeezing Vicky's ass. The tacky brunette couldn't be seen, her body too pressed up against Tyler's while her lips attacked the boy's neck in a lustful way. Without warning, a growl rumbled in the back of her throat, an animalistic sound – like the predator had just found its prey.

Damon chuckled from the sidelines, clearly finding entertainment in her mood. "You know, jealousy is an _ugly, _ugly emotion."

"I'm not jealous. I don't give a shit what he does. I'm not about to become somebody's little bitch – this whole imprinting is a bunch of crap, just like you said." She murmured, forcing her eyes to look downwards rather than continue to watch the scene Tyler was causing.

Damon paused. "Did you just agree with me?" He questioned before shaking his head and letting it go. "Not important. You're still jealous. _Trust me, _I've been alive a _lot, lot _longer than you. I know what jealous looks like."

"You're not alive, don't flatter yourself." Leah responded, shooting him a look of hatred once more, though she looked wary of their conversation. "To be jealous, that would mean I actually care. I don't. Get this, Salvatore, just because your little witch wanted a piece of Jacob instead of you and decided to use 'imprinting' as an excuse to be a whore, that doesn't mean we're all the same."

Once again, her words struck a nerve and the muscle in Damon's jaw flexed. "Probably a good thing because looks to me like Tyler isn't very much feeling this 'bond' that you two apparently now having. He is, on the other hand, getting quite a good feel of Donovan - probably because she's more giving than you and she doesn't do that freaky 'howling at a full moon' thing." He got revenge by striking at her wounds with his skilled words. "Plus, she's got a much bigger rack. I should know – "He leaned forward as if he was telling her some big dark secret. "I've felt it." He whispered, before laughing coolly and straightening himself up before she could push him.

This time round, Leah wasn't quick with a comeback. She wanted to bat her eyelids and tell him it didn't bother her – she wanted to mean it to, but unfortunately...it did bother her. Her eyes slowly drifted back onto the couple over by the pool table and she ground her teeth together. It felt like a knife was embedded into her gut and someone was twisting it all the time, forever pressing it in that little bit deeper. It was stupid – all this pain, all these emotions over a guy she'd barely said ten words to in the past. It was raw, but was it real? The pack liked to think it was, but she still had her doubts. How could it be real if she didn't even know him, if it had just appeared one day? As the idiot vampire had said, that was lust, not love. Love was meant to be about – oh please, like Leah had any idea what love was meant to be about, look at her track record or lack of it anyway. The only real relationship she'd had was with Sam and that had been dysfunctional as you like. Every other man she'd been with had been nothing but sex. Yet, she looked at Tyler now and she felt it – she felt love. She felt...things she didn't want to feel. This shouldn't be forced upon her, it should happen naturally and it made her feel so weak, so vulnerable – after Sam had hurt her, she promised herself she'd never be weak again. Finally tearing her gaze off of Tyler and his bit on the side, she thrust a glare in Damon's direction. "You're an asshole." She told him bluntly. It was a pathetic comeback, but she had to say something.

"It's amazing how many times a day I get told that." Damon shrugged his shoulders, clearly not actually caring the world hated him, but rather the opposite – he liked it that way. His own drunken eyes seemed to look away from her as he watched the contents of his drink. He could practically smell the hurt and jealousy emitting off of this female – it was even stronger than her wet dog odour. If he was humane, he'd probably feel pity for her, but he didn't – he did, however, relate to her. His heart might not be beating, but Katherine had still managed to rip it out and shred it into pieces. "You know, I know how you feel. I've been in love too. Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable."

"You know, Salvatore, if you're looking for someone to bond with, I'm sure there's a ditzy little blonde you can go woo. I, on the other hand, am just here to get drunk. I don't need your words of wisdom and a hug."

Her words fell on silent ears as Damon continued to talk – she wasn't even sure if he was talking to her any more or if he was just talking to himself. "It opens up your chest...and your heart...allows someone to get inside you and...fuck you up." He brought the glass to his lips and swallowed the liquid inside.

Leah was quiet as she listened – he was right. She would never admit it out loud, but he was. Before she knew it, she seemed to be adding to his rant, the alcohol spilling words out of her mouth. "You build up all these defences, you build up a whole suit of armour, so that nothing can hurt you, then one _stupid _person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life and...you give them a piece of you. You just _hand _it over – 'Oh hey, here's my heart, why don't you play with it a little bit until you get bored?' They didn't _ask _for it. They probably didn't even want it. They just did something stupid one day like...smile at you and suddenly, your life isn't your life anymore."

Damon blinked, staring at her slightly. It looked, for a few moments, if he was going to mock her, surprised by her input into his speech, but after a few moments, he nodded and looked away. "That's what love does – takes hostages. It gets inside you and eats you out...leaves you in the darkness. It hurts. Not just in the imagination, but in a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain." He added.

Leah's face screwed up, hearing his words and feeling her anger build up – not anger towards Damon, but anger towards everything: towards love. "So simple a phrase like 'maybe we should just be friends' turns into a glass splinter or in my case, silver, working its way into your heart and then – poof...you become a neurotic bitch who gets lectured for drinking all the time and swears too much."

"Or in my case, you become a blood sucking vampire who kills everything in sight. Or I did until _you _and your pack came along. Now I have to find a new hobby." The fact that he made this sound like such an effort made Leah curled her lip up in disgust. Damon sighed heavily, bringing his glass up in another toasting notion. "I hate love."

Leah, against her better judgement and despite her previous disgust, lifted her own glass and clinked it against his. Both of them threw their drinks back, finishing off the alcohol.

The fell in silence after that – it was awkward or uncomfortable like it shouldn't been. It wasn't full of tense hate and anger. It was...an understanding silence. For once, both of them got one another. It wouldn't last long and they'd probably be fighting again in the next ten minutes, but for now, they seemed to find comfort in the fact that perhaps they weren't alone in their hate for love – in their hate for the people that had caused this resentment. They had more in common than they would ever admit, even if they were completely opposite beings.

And yet as she remembered their little speech about love and the sound of Vicky's laughter filled her ears, she came to a realization: she did hate love, but she couldn't avoid it. It was there, eating away at her and it wasn't going away any time soon. Her eyes slowly turned to glance at Tyler once more and for a brief second, their eyes made a connection. They gazed at one another, before he went back to his game of pool, turning his back on her. Maybe everyone was right – maybe this was one problem she couldn't run away from. Tyler hadn't asked for her heart, but he had it now. If she wanted it back, avoiding him wasn't the answering: approaching him was.

* * *

**COMING UP NEXT: **Leah finally confronts Tyler, but it doesn't go as well as she'd hoped it would thanks to Paul and his bad temper.


	5. Violence

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**STORY NOTES: **Yes, we finally find out who Paul imprinted on in this chapter! It's not really a twist in the story, it's just a little fact I was keeping quiet for a while before I had a good opportunity to write them in. I'm rather fond of my little side couples in this so let me know what you think of them too! If enough people like them, I may write little side stories about them.

**DESTINY  
**_Leah Clearwater/Tyler Lockwood  
_Imprinting is supposed to be easy, but nothing is ever easy for Leah Clearwater or Tyler Lockwood. Both of them hot-heads and with hidden secrets, will they be able to bond or will they tear each other apart?

It had taken her a while to come to the decision she had now chosen, but finally, here she was; squaring up to the truth and facing reality...or at least, she was trying to anyway. Last night, while sat in a drunken and uncomfortable understanding with that vampire bastard, Leah had come to the realisation that these feelings weren't going away. If anything, they were developing and the more she tried to ignore that, the stronger they became. Her body was refusing to cooperate with her mind, her emotions refusing to stay in the cage she normally trapped them within. Therefore, tonight when Bonnie had kindly invited Leah to come to the grill with them, much to the dislike of the rest of the pack even Jacob, the female wolf had reluctantly agreed.

However, she hadn't quite found the courage to actually step out the door of her apartment just yet. Seth was whining at her to hurry the fuck up – the men had already left, getting bored of waiting around. Caroline and Bonnie had stayed with her, much to her distaste and Seth wasn't actually going, but instead taking advantage of the free house to invite friends from school round to watch films. Leah was pretty certain by his bitching that she was being so slow and urgency to get her to leave, girls would be coming. She knew she should be taking a stand and being a parental figure, but she wouldn't be a hypocrite. Leah was still young, too young to take up mother duty – she left that to Emily, who did so quite frequently. She would always protect her baby brother, but she would not deny him the chance of being a teenager, especially not now he'd lost his youth to being a part of this fucked up supernatural lifestyle they led.

Dark eyes, coated with eyeliner and a light layer of shimmer, stared down at the clear liquid in her glass. Three vodka shots later and she was feeling a buzz, but still no urge to actually step out the door and go face the music. Leah was well aware that Tyler would be at the Mystic Grill tonight – there was a celebration going on there. The football team had actually won something for the first time in nobody knew how many years. Being a part of the team, no doubt Tyler would be there. It was the only reason Leah was going – no other reason could persuade her to spend a night in a bar surrounded by underage teenagers who couldn't handle booze. No other reason could have her in such a state that she'd actually changed outfit three times and then _almost _resorted in letting _Caroline Forbes _help style her while Bonnie just offered morale support.

She supposed she should be more thankful towards the girls. Truth was, Leah wasn't sure she knew how to be nice anymore though. She'd spent so long being hostile; she was a stranger to the positive things in life nowadays. Clearing her throat, she shot the rest of her drink back and relished in the way it burnt her throat. Clicking her neck to one side, she brought her eyes up to meet her reflection. Her hair was wilder than normal tonight, the waves more precise and emphasized due to moose and wax. Her lips were a little fuller, due to the coat of red lip gloss that had been painted across them. Caroline had even tried putting her in a dress, a little black number, but Leah had threatened to rip it to shreds before ever putting it on her form. No, she would not go that far. She couldn't stand it when people tried to put her in an outfit that wasn't her, like Caroline had tried to do so. If she was going to approach Tyler, she would approach him as herself and nothing else. This imprint thing would not change her – she refused to let that happen. Therefore, she settled for tight jeans that suffocated her legs but made her ass look great, a simple black top that curved nicely around her chest and heels to match. Leah knew what she felt comfortable in and what she didn't – just because Caroline looked good in a yellow ruffle dress and Bonnie's legs looked fantastic in wet-looking leggings, that didn't mean Leah would force herself into them.

"Oh come on, can we just go already? It's totally getting late." Caroline whined.

"Caroline..." Bonnie tried to scold her, but there was nothing truly intimidating about her voice. There probably never would be, despite her magical powers.

"What? It's only Tyler Lockwood, it's not like he even has high standards. She has a vagina, which means she could bowl up with sweat pants and bad hair and _still _be good enough for him. I don't get why we're stuck here missing a party over it!"

"Nice, Caroline; real supportive, you know it's not as simple as that."

Leah felt a surge of irritation towards the blonde that had become a thorn in her side just because Paul's world suddenly revolved around her, however, she said nothing because deep down...it was true. This _should _have been simple and really, the only one making complications was her. She knew this, deep down, she really did know this. After all, it had been easy for everyone else. Not dead easy, considering having to tell their loved ones they were wolves of course, but...easy enough for them to be happy now, months later. But she was too fucked up to let it be that easy, wasn't she? With a heavy sigh, she forced a smile upon her lips and turned to face them. "She's right. She's a bitch, but she's right. Let's go." Her heart physically leapt at the thought of leaving, but she tried her hardest to ignore it as she forced herself to her feet, the heels of her shoes digging into the carpet.

"Hey Leah – " Bonnie was suddenly quick on her feet and stepping towards the doorway, as if to block it, clearly wanting to get something off her chest. "This thing with Tyler...I mean..." She seemed unsure of how to word herself.

Leah frowned and she heard Caroline huff in annoyance. Licking her lower lip, her eyebrows tilted upwards in a questioning manner while her arms folded over her chest in an impatient manner. She'd only just found the balls to leave, she didn't want to lose them before she had a chance to get even close to the front door. "What?" She snapped in irritation.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the guys because I know what they can get like." Bonnie begun and Leah had to bite back a rude retort. Bonnie thought she knew the guys just because she'd been sleeping with Jacob for a couple of weeks? "I know Tyler isn't exactly Sam's favourite and I didn't want to cause any trouble or anything – "

"Can we just get to the point before I age a decade?" Leah yawned out.

Bonnie sighed in an almost defeated way and shrugged her shoulders lightly. "It's just...Tyler isn't exactly the nicest of guys. He's a jerk. Like, major full-time, born to be an asshole kind of jerk. He treats Vicky Donovan like she's some sort of toy that he can just play around with. Jeremy Gilbert even caught him trying to force himself on her when he'd had too much to drink once."

"Oh _please_, the Gilberts roll around in the sheets with vampires, like I give a crap about what they did or didn't see." Leah scoffed, not liking the way this conversation was going.

"I've known the Gilberts my whole life. Vampires or no vampires...they're not liars." Bonnie sounded certain about this. Too certain and Leah looked away, shuffling from left to right slightly as she chewed down on her bottom lip. She didn't feel too surprised – of course _she _would imprint on an asshole who didn't know how to treat women right that was all she deserved apparently. She did, however, feel disappointed. Hopes that she hadn't even created but the imprint had suddenly dissolved and it stung a hole in her chest.

"Hey, cut him some slack, Bonnie...Tyler might be a jerk, but it's not like he's killed anyone. _You _dated _Damon Salvatore_." Caroline piped up in her somewhat squeaky voice, rising to her feet and moving to stand beside Bonnie.

"I'm not saying he's a bad guy...I'm just saying he's not a very good one." Bonnie concluded, her eyes watching Leah closely in an almost apologetic way. "He has anger issues and he's not exactly famous for his stability. The last thing I want is for my friend to be caught up in that."

Friend? Leah's ears picked up on how casually Bonnie slipped that in and she didn't know whether to appreciate the girl or mock her. She would hardly class her and Bonnie friends. The girl was always in her house because Jacob couldn't stand to be away from her for less than two hours a day, but a friend? Leah wasn't sure if she wanted a friend. It was obvious by now she had a problem with being close to people. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat from nerves, Leah finally looked back up at and offered a smile full of nothing but reassurance. "Thanks, but...I can handle myself. Werewolf, remember?" She waved her hand and then pointed at herself, before walking around Bonnie and leaving the room.

Bonnie's words were etched into her mind though, burnt there unfortunately and Leah found herself dreading having to face Tyler. It was true, she could handle herself...but could the wolf within handle her imprint treating her like that? What if he really was violent? And if he was, what if she seriously hurt him because he made her too mad? He sounded just as dysfunctional as her which would not be a good mix. She knew if this got back to Sam, he would not approve of the relationship, imprint or not. He didn't even approve of it now after Tyler squared up to him in the car park. She might as well face it – this was doomed before it had even begun and yet...that damn fucking bond was still pulling her towards him regardless, apparently not giving a shit if she got hurt as long as it was by him and nobody else. As she moved towards the front door, she caught sight of Seth watching her with concern in his young eyes – clearly he'd been eavesdropping overheard. "I can _handle myself_." She repeated fiercely, snatching up her keys and leaving the apartment with Bonnie and Caroline not far behind.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the Mystic Grill. The cold breeze whipped against Leah's face, though she didn't feel it. She had long forgotten what it felt like to be cold since her temperature rose up to the unnatural heat it was. Her heightened senses could already pick up on the bad music that was being played within the building that was creeping closer with every step she could and the buzzing noises of different conversations could be heard, but not quite understood. Caroline had already raced in, desperate to be near Paul and to catch up on the time that had been lost waiting for Leah to pull herself together while Bonnie lingered loyally by Leah's side, apparently taking this 'friend' thing seriously. Leah could feel her steps slowing down the closer she got.

He was close. She could smell him. She could feel him. It drove her instincts wild and it scared the fucking shit out of her. She almost made a grab for Bonnie's hand, wanting to drag them in the wrong direction, wanting to run, but she managed to stop herself from doing so.

A wolf whistle cut through the air and Leah's lip curled up almost instantly. A whiff of vampire seemed to overrule Tyler's scent as Damon appeared out of nowhere, walking towards them with a smug expression on his face and mischief glistening within his eyes. Bonnie immediately tensed up and Leah wanted to tell the poor girl to go inside – friends or not, there was always serious tension between these two whenever they were close by ever since the witch left the vampire to be with the werewolf – wow, you could write a few poems about that story. Instantly, her hand came up and rest lightly on Bonnie's shoulder in a protective stance; that was her duty after all, to protect. "What do you want, asshole?" She demanded coldly.

Damon's smirk only grew more at this. "Looking good, Bonnie." He winked at the girl and Leah's grip on her shoulder tightened as she stepped forward so she was a little bit in front of the dark-skinned female.

"Salvatore." She growled out in a threatening manner and he held his hands up in a defensive way, even taking one small step backwards.

"Whoa, down girl. Somebody should put a muzzle on you before you get put to sleep for your hostility." Damon commented snidely, his arms falling back to his side. "I was only coming over to tell you that you _might _want to stop dawdling. Lover boy is about to get his ass kicked in there. Figured you'd want to know considering he's your...life force now, you're...entire reason of existence or whatever." He rolled his eyes and made a face as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.

Normally, Leah would have made a sarcastic comment; she would have mocked him, insulted him...anything really to upset him, but her eyes had widened at his words. She didn't have time to stick around. Instead, her hands lifted and using brute force, her palms shoved him in the chest. Not even bothering to laugh at his stumble, she moved forward immediately and Bonnie was quick to follow, not wanting to have to deal with a pissed off Damon. The sounds of raised voices got louder as Leah edged closer and as she swung the door open, her eyes went larger at the sight of the scene in playing out in front of her, eyebrows drawing down into a frown and mouth even dropping in shock.

Tyler was being held back by Matt, putting up a hefty struggle with a smirk on his face, but anger burning in his eyes as he glared at the person opposite him – Paul. The tanned werewolf was laughing, goading the other male even more with his fists clenched, ignoring the fact that his pretty little girlfriend was cowering behind Sam, who was playing his usual protective self while trying to play the role of alpha male at the same time. Jared of course, wasn't as loyally as Matt – instead of trying to pull his friend away from the fight, he was standing next to him and urging him on instead, encouraging the fight. Her own fists clenched, she swore and moved forward, walking rather fast for a girl in heels. "What the fuck is going on here?" She demanded in a loud voice, looking to and from Tyler, though never daring to make eye contact with him.

"Pretty boy over here thinks he can start a riot. _Apparently _I stole his friend's girl." Paul sneered and Leah sighed inwardly. So this was about Matt and Caroline. Paul had only imprinted on Caroline less than a week ago, though they made out they'd been together forever. Of course, this had meant Caroline leaving Matt high and dry after spending weeks trying to convince him she was perfect for him. Judging by the stench of alcohol in his breath, it became obvious that Tyler had clearly had too much to drink, gone looking for a fight like Bonnie said he usually did and found this as an excuse to cause one even though Matt didn't actually seem too bothered by it all. He had probably just gone back to pining over Elena anyway, right?

Tyler stopped his struggling and laughing mockingly. "Apparently?" He repeated. "Way I see it, you boys all seem to be making a habit of that lately. First him with the Salvatore girl's – " He jerked his head in Jacob's direction, who automatically put a protective arm around Bonnie. "Now, you're with Matt's girl. Is anyone actually safe around you shirtless freaks?"

"Well, we can't help it if none of you have got what it takes to please a girl." Paul commented and the wolves behind him all sniggered with humour. Tyler automatically lurched forward again and Matt was quick to grab him while Leah instantly moved forward, placing her in the middle of both of them.

"Okay, you both need to chill the fuck out right now!" She yelled in a demanding way.

"Oh come on, Leah, I won't hurt him...much." Paul mocked, giving her a knowing smirk, almost as if he was degrading her silently in his head, well aware that the only reason she was protecting Tyler was because of her imprint.

Tyler laughed once more, shaking his head. "Dude, you think you're all big and tough just because you got into _Caroline Forbes' _pants? Please...who hasn't? Half the town knows what it's like in there...and not many of them were actually impressed." He scoffed.

Leah's eyes closed slowly. The worse thing Tyler could have done right now was insult Caroline. Paul's temper was the worse out of them all and while he could handle insults about him, nobody would ever get away with insulting 'his girl'. His eyes immediately darkened and everyone around him stopped laughing. Sam instantly moved forward, placing a commanding hand down on Paul's shoulder but his body was already starting to get a mild case of the shakes. The fact that Tyler was smirking from ear to ear didn't help either. All of a sudden, Paul lurched forward. His hands snatched Leah's upper arms and he pushed her out of his way, causing her to stumble back and fall into the wall with a thud. Her eyes were wide as she watched Paul draw his fist back; preparing to punch Tyler, not caring about the damage his werewolf strength would call the human. Her heart was in her throat and was terrified – not for her feelings any more, but for Tyler's safety. He might have a violent streak, but Paul had inhumane strength.

"Paul; no!" She screamed, regaining composure and moving forward to stop him, but before she had a chance Paul's fist had already gone flying forward towards its target and there was a sickening crack that seemed to echo around her ears forever.


	6. Duty

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**STORY NOTES: **I'm so sorry it took me so long to update guys! I've been really over run at the moment with all sorts of things, but here we go, finally another chapter. I'm not particularly happy with it, but I promise you there are lots more interesting things coming Tyler and Leah's way so just bear with me while I build it up! Now, something I feel I really need to get straight here is I started writing and planning this story before S2 which means a lot of the characters have changed, so if you're reading this and wondering why Caroline isn't a vampire, this is why. Also, I noticed Damon has a thing for tearing out the hearts of werewolves, as you might have noticed too and that is not going to be in this story either. In this, the vampires and the werewolves have a pack similar to the one they have with the Cullens in the books – they don't hunt humans, the werewolves won't hunt vampires, simple. This story isn't really based in a season time line, its pretty AU. However, one thing S2 has helped me with, is it let me get to know Tyler's character more which is great! I hope this will clear up any confusion people might have since S2!

On that note, thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It means so much! And I'm so glad people are encouraging the friendship between Damon/Leah – they were originally going to be my pairing before I decided to put her with Tyler instead. For those like the thought of her with Damon, there will be a few moments between the two of them, but endgame will always be Tyler/Leah for this story! Although I have to admit, S2 got me liking the idea of Leah/Mason too! What are your favourite Twilight/TVD crossover pairings? Just a random question I'd love for you to answer in any review you might leave!

* * *

**DESTINY  
**_Leah Clearwater/Tyler Lockwood  
_Imprinting is supposed to be easy, but nothing is ever easy for Leah Clearwater or Tyler Lockwood. Both of them hot-heads and with hidden secrets, will they be able to bond or will they tear each other apart?

* * *

Nothing could have prepared Leah for what happened next.

Paul's attack played out right in front of her and even though she knew he was moving at an unnatural speed, to her it looked as though everything was moving in slow motion. Every instinct in her body was urging her to move forward and protect her imprint, but then another tiny voice in the back of her mind was reminding her she needed to remain loyal to her pack. She felt frozen on the spot, utterly useless as she stared at the events occurring. All she could do was watch with wide eyes as her pack member's fist hurtled closer and closer to Tyler's face, promising to do some serious damage once it made contact.

And then something happened that didn't just shock her, but seemed to shock everyone. The sickening crunch filled her ears, but it was not what she had been expecting. Moving at a speed that not even Leah's skilful eyes could quite figure out, Tyler's arm suddenly lifted itself up and his hand snatched hold of Paul's fist, stopping it in mid-movement. Knuckles cracked at the contact as though they had just suffered a great strain and the look on Paul's face went from being outraged, to shocked, his eyes widening and his upper lip pulling back into what could only be described as a sneer of defeat and perhaps even a bit of pain.

Tyler's own face was fierce, his eyes narrowed dangerously and he no longer looked amused like he had moments ago. There was a new look in his eyes, glistening dangerously and making an indescribable shiver curve its way down Leah's back. The muscle in his jaw flexed noticeably and his knuckles whitened as he gripped tighter, keeping a firm hold of Paul's fist as though his life depending on it. His arm struggled, most likely from the unsuspected strength in Paul's lunge, but he refused to back down.

Leah didn't understand – it didn't make sense. The impact should have broken his hand and yet there was no sign of pain etched out across his features at all, just that stern look of determination as he fought for dominance. How was this even possible? Humans, no matter how tough they were against each other, were weak and feeble creatures compared to supernatural beings – compared to shape shifters or werewolves or anything of that sort. She remembered when Elena had tried to punch Jacob not long ago. Jacob hadn't even flinched when her fist had connected with his face, but her wrist had been sprained for at least a couple of weeks. Tyler was showing no sign of injury whatsoever – was he just good at ignoring pain or was there something more behind it?

Before she had a chance to consider this more, Paul moved once again and this time he was too fast. Using his spare arm, he swung it around and there was another sickening crunch as this time his fist did make the proper connection – Tyler's jaw. Almost instantly, her imprint released his grip upon Paul's fist and he stumbled back, a grunt of pain reaching her ears as his back smacked against the pool table. His hands automatically lifted to cup his mouth and the scent of blood didn't take long to reach Leah's nostrils. Her own impulses took over and she felt the inner wolf within her growl – who the fuck did Paul think he was? Her teeth ground together and her eyes narrowed. She could hear Sam in the background, his voice getting louder, his commands echoing off of the walls as he tried to get Paul to stand down, but not even his alpha abilities could calm the supernatural rage that was taking over his body. Her eyes watched as he visibly shook, trying to fight back the phase that so desperately wanted to leap out from within.

"Paul – stand down!" Sam yelled.

What sounded like a feral growl parted from Paul's lips and instead of standing down, he moved forward. This time, his path was blocked though. In the time it took for Tyler to stumble and fall, Leah had remembered herself. She had remembered her power and her strength and within seconds, she had stepped towards them and placed herself in the middle of the fight. It was obvious by her stance who she was protecting, who she was siding with. Her back was to Tyler, who was still on the floor, recovering from the blow he had taken and she faced Paul with promising threats burning in her eyes. Her place was with her imprint, not her pack member or at least, that was what every fibre of her being was telling her and who was she to deny it? Her shoulders were pinned back, her head held higher and her top lip drawn back into a sneer as she stepped even closer, practically nose to nose with her opponent. "Back – the fuck – _off_." She growled out, her tone menacing as she spoke through gritted teeth. Anger was boiling in her stomach and if they weren't careful, there'd be two wolves tearing into each other's fur soon, but that didn't stop her from standing her ground.

Dark eyes stared down at her and Paul's face seemed livid for a few moments, before his lips curled up into a laugh. The sound mocked her, degraded her and that seemed to be enough for Leah. His mouth opened to insult her, but he never got the chance to say whatever it was he had planned because suddenly, she had brought her own fist back and slammed it into the side of his face in a skilled punch. Bones cracked under pressure though she knew he would heal within a matter of moments. Her body violently shook as she attempted to keep her cool. In the crowd, she could hear a laughter that sounded suspiciously like Damon Salvatore but that was the least of her issues as Paul suddenly snapped his head back round to face her, fire burning in his eyes as his own body began to shake – more so than it already had been. He was breathing heavily, taking in sharp intakes of oxygen and his face reddened. They both stepped forward, looking like predators as their foreheads banged together, pushing at each other in a fight to find out who was the strongest – who would back down first. It wasn't unnatural for Leah and Paul to fight. They were both hot headed and had tempers they refused to control. Several times in the past, even before the change, they had found themselves at each other's throat, but this time was different. This time, neither of them was playing. They were out for blood and they weren't going to stop until they got it.

"Paul!" A new voice joined the scene, pleading and screaming his name in desperation. It caught him off guard and his body stiffened, recognising it instantly as Caroline. "Paul, baby, please!" She continued, begging him to see sense and reason. Leah could see her over his shoulder, her tiny frame being held back by Embry.

"Better listen to Barbie – wouldn't want you getting yourself hurt now, would we?" Leah growled out, smirking ever so slightly.

"Leah!" Sam growled out in frustration, clearly not understanding why she was now trying to wind Paul up more.

"Fuck you, Sam." Leah snapped back, though she didn't even look at him, refusing to take her eyes off of the threat that stood before her – Paul.

For a few moments it was touch and go, nobody knew what was going to happen. He seemed to be having some inner struggle within himself, trying to figure out what was more important – listening to his imprints desire or tearing Leah to shreds for ruining his pride, but then Caroline called to him again, her voice soft and musical to his ears, soothing the temper within him and bringing his shakes to a stop. Swallowing hard, he straightened himself out, shoving Leah away from him with a rough nudge of his shoulder as he did so. His lips twisted into what appeared to be a slightly forced smirk and his hands lifted, as if surrendering himself. "You know what? You and your little boyfriend ain't even fucking worth my time, Clearwater." He spat out her name as if it were poison and turned his back on her within seconds, moving towards Caroline and kissing her roughly on top of the head, pushing Embry away from her in order to pull her into his own tight embrace, murmuring apologies and sweet nothings in her ear that soon had her giggling once more, as though nothing had ever happened.

Leah watched with a twisted look of disgust on her face before peeling her eyes away, turning her attention on her alpha. It was clear by the expression on Sam's face that he was not happy – not in the slightest. His eyes met hers and they narrowed in silence. He wasn't speaking, but she knew exactly what he was thinking, even without being able to see into his thoughts. This wasn't over. It was far from over and it wasn't just because two of his wolves had nearly lost control in front of a crowd of humans that was unnerving him. She knew what his problem was – she knew what was bothering him. The fact that Tyler had somehow managed to block an attack that should have injured him would not be forgotten shortly. Suspicion was clear in Sam's expression, but Leah refused to take notice of it. She knew she should be suspicious too. She should be concerned and desperate to find out why this was possible, but he was her imprint... in her eyes he could do no wrong. She couldn't bring herself to think bad of him, even if she wanted to. With a roll of her eyes, she turned her back on him and the rest of the pack, turning to face Tyler, who finally seemed to be coming around.

With his arm slunk around Matt's shoulders, his friend helped him to his feet with a groan. "Come on, mate. I think it's time we got you home." The country-looking boy murmured, glancing at Leah with an apologetic look shimmering within his eyes. Blood splattered onto the floor as Tyler spat it out in an unattractive manner. The bruise on his jaw was already beginning to show, dis-colouring his flesh and when he laughed at his friend's words, there were still faint traces of blood coating his teeth.

Swallowing hard, Leah observed them in silence. She had never felt so awkward in her life. Normally, she was quite the confident person. Sure, she had a lot of insecurities, more so than the normal woman, but that didn't stop her from making her presence known when she wanted to and it certainly didn't stop her from approaching her prey. She spoke out of turn, she said what she thought and she never sugar coated things – that was one of the reasons people hated her so much. But right now, as she stood there, watching Tyler with so much concern pouring out of her heart, she felt that confidence slip away from her. She felt like she was some silly little thirteen year old school girl with a crush. He looked so beautiful even when he was damaged and bleeding. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and nurse his wounds, but that inner battle to fight her urges was still happening, even now.

After a few moments of silent debate, Leah dropped her defences and moved forward. It was as though some magnetic force was pulling her towards him and without thinking, her arm reached out to lend Matt a hand, seeing him struggling with the heavy weight of Tyler's drunken form. The thought of touching him seemed to make her heart pelt against her chest in pure anticipation and nerves, but that was soon pulled out from underneath as Tyler reached his own arm out and batted her hand away, as though the very idea of her being close to him offended him, causing her to flinch ever so slightly.

"What's your problem?" He snapped, looking at her with such offence in his eyes she found herself wanting to look away, but couldn't. She didn't understand what she had done wrong at first, but then he spoke and answered the question for her. "I can handle my fucking self, I can fight my own fights – I don't need some chick coming in and defending me."

His rejection stung more than she would ever like to admit and at first, she didn't quite know what to do with herself. She stood there, her tongue tracing her lower lip as she tried to regain composure, tried to ignore the way her heart felt as though someone had punched into her chest and snatched hold of her heart, squeezing it of its life. There was a strange ringing in her ears as the humiliation of what had just happened sunk in though unfortunately, it didn't block out the sound of Paul sniggering behind her, which only seemed to make everything worse. This was _exactly _why she hadn't wanted to come out recently, exactly why she didn't want to be around Tyler full stop. She wasn't cut out for this shit. When something good was handed to her, she always had a way of screwing it up. All she had done tonight was try to do him a fucking favour and somehow, that had offended him – bruised his male ego more than he would have liked. Her face hardened into a scowl, refusing to let him see the hurt.

"Right." She muttered, nodding her head once and bringing her arms up to fold over her chest. She told herself to leave it there – to just turn around and walk away now before making things worse, but before he knew it, she was talking again, an unpleasant tone in the words she spoke. "Yeah, because crawling around on the floor, whining like a little girl over one punch was real bad ass." She taunted, her voice cool, not once hinting that she was offended by his harsh words moments ago. She was not ready for Tyler to know the power he had over her, especially not when he was going to behave like a jackass towards her.

"Hey, I had everything under control!" Tyler snapped at her, his own temper flaring as he attempted to defend his honour.

Her lips parted to spit more venomous words at him because insulting people seemed to be the only thing she was actually good at, but before she had the chance to even do so, her eyes flickered up to the bartender that had approached him. "Look, I think you've all caused enough trouble for tonight. You got problems to sort out, take it outside, don't bring it in here." His voice was stern, full of authority though Leah didn't take much notice. Instead, she ignored him and brought her eyes back down to make contact with Tyler's. For just a few seconds, she waited silently to see if he had anything more to say for himself, but he didn't. There was nothing. He just glared at her.

"Whatever." Leah muttered, rolling her eyes at him and turning her back. She needed to leave – she needed to get out here now. She needed to escape that cold, harsh look in his dark eyes. "When you want to stop behaving like a little boy, feel free to come thank me!" She yelled over her shoulder, ignoring the jeering laugh of Paul as she passed the pack and moved towards the exit. It hurt her to walk away from her imprint, but not as much as it hurt her to be around him when he was behaving like that towards her presence. A voice in the back of her head was urging her to look over her shoulder, urging her to apologise to him for her rudeness just seconds ago, but she didn't. She just kept walking, her hand reaching out to push the door open. She needed to get out. She felt like the walls were closing in on her. Her gut was sinking and her heart was racing. Her head was blurred and she felt sick. Was this what it was going to be like for the rest of her life now that she had imprinted?

With a cry of frustration, she turned around and slammed her fist into the nearest wall. The brick cut into her knuckles, grazing flesh, but she ignored it – almost found relief in the pain if she was completely honest. Her eyes shut and her head fell forward, resting her forehead next to her fist as she took in a deep breath, trying to soothe herself, trying to clear her head from all this messed up emotions she didn't want to feel. Why did she have to imprint? She had been fine by herself – she happened to like being alone. Sure, she bitched about it, but truth be told, at least when she was alone, she had known what to expect. At least when she was alone, no one could hurt her the way Tyler, a mere school boy who she knew nothing about, just had.

Everyone else had made imprinting look so easy – so simple. Jacob and Bonnie fluttered around like butterflies, forever colourful, forever shining and never once letting anything bring them down, despite the fact they'd only been together a shortage of weeks. Jacob had found no problem in being honest with the witch and Bonnie, being ever so warm at heart, had been so god damn _accepting_! She supposed he'd had the upper hand in the situation though, considering she'd already been lying down with a vampire and therefore already knew of the supernatural to begin with. They didn't all get such luxuries. Yet, even then look at Caroline and Paul. While their relationship seemed more sexual rather than sweet, they still made it look easy. Caroline, the ever-so-selfish cheerleader, hadn't had a single clue about such things and even she seemed to have waltzed her way into the lifestyle without a care in the word, finding great pride in knowing she was Paul's imprint, apparently believing this made her special – somehow better than all the rest and one up on that Elena chick, who was usually the one who got first pickings of the guys. She didn't even want to think of how easy Sam and Emily had made it look, her stomach having been tied into enough knots already.

Why was it so easy for all of them, yet so difficult for her? Why was everything always so difficult for her? Leah knew in some way, it was her own fault. She didn't exactly embrace happiness when it was handed to her, that much had been proven when she had first laid sights on Tyler and had run from him. It had taken her far too long to approach him and now that she'd finally found the guts to do so, it had just been thrown back in her face. She growled in anger – anger towards Tyler, anger towards Paul, anger towards herself...

"Leah." A voice spoke to her from the darkness and she groaned inwardly, her eyes falling shut. She hoped if she kept her back to him long enough, he would go away, but Sam never did know how to take the hint and instead of walking off, she heard him step closer. "That was a pretty shameful performance back in there. Someone could have gotten hurt. What were you thinking?"

What was _she _thinking? Shouldn't he be having this conversation with Paul, not her? Sure, she had gotten involved, but she hadn't had a choice. Sam knew better than anyone the pull of the imprint or so he claimed. Her fist pushed harder against the wall, almost hoping she could somehow fall into it and hide from the world. Realising this was not a possibility; she sighed heavily and stood up straight, her arm falling back to her side as she turned around to face her alpha with a cold expression on her face. "Someone _did _get hurt, Sam or did you not see the state of Tyler Lockwood's jaw as he was _carried _from the room?" She snapped. Paul was the one who had started on a human, not her!

"Hey, maybe you should keep your imprint on a tighter leash. He started the fight – I would have finished it, you didn't have to get involved." Sam's eyes were always full of so much disappointment whenever he looked at her. He didn't even bother trying to hide it anymore. The only thing was now that she had imprinted, it didn't sting as much as it used to. In fact, it didn't sting at all, it just pissed her off.

"Yeah actually I did. I _did _have to get involved because of this _bullshit _imprint that you have all been telling me_ not _to ignore! What did you want me to do, stand by while Paul beat down on a human? _My _human? God, I can't do wrong for doing right with you, can I?" She stared at him with wide eyes, frustration in her voice as it got louder with each word. What did they all want from her? They were the reason she had even gone out tonight – they were the ones that had encouraged her to go see Tyler, to encourage this imprint instead of hide from it and now what, she was in the wrong for doing that?

"I had everything under con –"

"You had _nothing _under control, Sam! If you'd had everything under control, my imprint wouldn't be bleeding from the mouth!" Leah yelled over him. She felt a sharp twinge in her chest, her body not agreeing with the way she had interrupted her alpha, but she ignored it, used to the feeling by now. She got it quite often considering how many times she bad mouthed him.

Sam seemed to fall silent after this and Leah looked away from him. She waited for him to take his leave, but he didn't. He just stood there. Moments passed and the harsh wind cooled her heated face, whipping waves of hair against her cheeks as her arms came up to fold over her chest. Finally, he spoke again, his voice hollow and quiet, a sign that he was being extremely serious. "Paul's knuckles are broken, Leah or at least, they were. They're in the process of healing."

"I'm sorry, am I supposed to feel sympathy? Forgive me if I don't." Leah drawled sarcastically, not understanding where he was getting at. Her eyebrows lifted up and she shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he shouldn't punch people."

"He didn't get it from punching Tyler." Sam corrected her and that was when the penny dropped – he was talking about when Tyler had somehow, without warning, caught the first fist that had flown towards him. Leah had known it would not be forgotten. She frowned and stayed quiet, unsure of what to say, unsure of what Sam was about to suggest. "It's not normal, Leah." He murmured, as though she didn't already know. He spoke to her in a matter of fact voice, as though she was some kind of idiot. "You and I both know humans don't have the ability to do that. They have no strength against us."

Yes, she did know this, but she didn't want to accept it because if she did then that meant something was wrong with her imprint – it meant that once again life was spitting on her and she was sick of it. So, not only had she imprinted on someone who didn't want her, but she'd imprinted on a freak too? Her anger was building up again and for a while she didn't speak, before just shaking her head. "I don't care. I'm done with this – I'm going to go home, take a bath and forget this night ever happened." She turned to leave, but his hand snatched forward and took hold of her wrist.

"Leah – this is important. He's your imprint, you should – "

"No, damn it!" Leah snatched her arm out of his grip and shook her head. She knew what he was going to say. He was going to try and tell her it was her responsibility to find out whatever secrets Tyler Lockwood kept from them and maybe it was, but right now, she refused to see reason. Up until now, he had not given her a direct order and therefore denying him was still an option. She wanted to get out of there before that changed and he used his authority over her to get his way. "I'm _going home_, Sam. You got a problem with Tyler Lockwood? Sort it out yourself, but me? I'm done. This whole imprinting business can kiss me ass. The kid doesn't even want to know me and why should I even care? I don't _know_ him and you know what, I don't want to." On that note, she turned and began to walk, wanting to get away from this place and everything that had happened tonight as fast as possible.

"You might not want to, Leah, but you _can't _ignore it! Tyler Lockwood is a part of your life now and if he's a danger to this town, it's your duty to protect it!" He called after her, but she pretended not to hear, merely lifting her arm and flipping him the middle finger over her shoulder. She didn't even look back, just carried on walking.

He was right and that only angered her most. Everything was about her duty.

She had a duty to Tyler because he was her imprint.

She had a duty to her town because of her pack and the laws they stood by.

The only problem was which duty was she supposed to pick first?


	7. Author's Note!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a little note to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed so far, I never expected this fanfiction to get the attention it has and I'm sorry to leave everyone hanging.

DON'T PANIC.

I am planning to get a couple of chapters up by THE END OF THIS WEEK! I moved abroad for a couple of months so it's been stupidly long since my last update but just wanted to let everyone know I have NOT forgotten this story and it WILL be continued as I have a good thirty chapters planned out ;) 


End file.
